Uesugi Kagekatsu's face was completely contorted, his hand gripping the Tenroku bow trembling violently, and the color draining rapidly from his face.
It was not just shock, but more so, fear!
A sense of immense crisis spread through his heart, causing him to take seven or eight deep breaths, so loud that the two False Immortals glanced at him.
"Mr. Uesugi, you seem to be very afraid."
"Yes! I am terrified!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu's eyes were bloodshot, veins spreading across them. "If this is true! Do you two know what this means! Tachibana Muneshige's death, the change of ownership of the famous sword Raikiri, and even the loss of the divine position of Takemikazuchi."
"This means that the Ming Dynasty is going to launch a full-scale counter-offensive against us. Those Thunder Sorcerers... those Thunder Sorers!"
When attacking the cities garrisoned by the Ming, the most troublesome were those cultivators who used thunder magic. Although the previous batch had been largely annihilated, by mobilizing a large number of demons and launching a fierce attack on an important city, those Thunder Sorcerers were drawn out at night and then annihilated by Tachibana Muneshige in one blow. After this incident, the Japanese army's position advanced a great deal, directly reaching the Imjin River.
Kaicheng was located downstream to the east of the Imjin River.
"How long has it only been since Hwanghae Province was captured? How long has it been since the last batch of Thunder Sorcerers was wiped out? Only two months! The Ming Dynasty must have dispatched new Thunder Sorcerers for reinforcements, which means the gap on our front lines will widen again."
"You two... Perhaps I am no longer qualified to wield divine artifacts! I am not qualified to fight with Immortals of this caliber; going there would only be courting death. I am so terrified that I cannot draw my sword or loose my bow."
"I can barely breathe."
Uesugi Kagekatsu's face was bloodless. A False Immortal observed him for a long time before sighing, "The gap between Immortals and those below is entirely different. No matter how powerful a Pure Yang cultivator is, they cannot contend with a True Immortal, nor can they even compare to us."
"This terrifying scene is the result of refining thunder magic to its peak, capable of leveling mountains, turning the earth into scorched soil, and evaporating rivers. But Mr. Uesugi need not fear. Our existence is to cooperate with these two divine artifacts at critical moments! His Majesty the Emperor sent us to the court, and we have long since cast aside our fear of death. Mr. Uesugi, please overcome your fear, as you still have an important mission."
"As long as you set up the formation and open the path to the Yellow Springs, even Immortals will have to evade quickly. And in that instant, we two will entangle with him and drag him into the land of the Yellow Springs together!"
"And you, only by overcoming your fear, can you draw this divine artifact amidst the chill of the Yellow Springs. It will become the most crucial point in killing that Immortal!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu slowly suppressed the fear that rose within him, and suddenly, from the scorched mountains in the distance, a voice emerged.
A fourteen-year-old young samurai, without armor, came from the direction of Kaicheng in a sorry state, covered in wounds, his clothes stained with blood and the smell of earth, tattered and soaked by the rain. He looked like a lone ghost crawling out of hell, his expression filled with extreme terror. Upon seeing Uesugi Kagekatsu stopped not far away, his fear turned to joy, knowing he had survived.
"Who! State your name!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu was highly vigilant, fearing the appearance of the black-clothed Taoist mentioned in the news. In an instant, he held up the divine artifact, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. If the other party misspoke even a single word, he would strike down this "vengeful spirit" in the next moment.
"Is, is that Mr. Uesugi! I am... Shimazu Tadatsune, the third son of the Shimazu family!"
Shimazu Tadatsune... is Shimazu Yoshihiro's third son?
Uesugi Kagekatsu's expression was strange. A fourteen-year-old young samurai, truly fearless, to venture to a frontline like Kaicheng...
That was one of the three capitals of Joseon! It seemed Shimazu Yoshihiro's original intention was for him to gain military merit in Kaicheng. After all, Pyongyang was in the hands of the Ming army, Wanggyeong was in the hands of his own army, and Kaicheng, although one of the three capitals, had many barrier cities in front of it. Coupled with the fact that cities on the western and eastern coasts had already been captured, if not for the sudden attack on Haizhou this time, Kaicheng would not have been threatened at all.
But now...
What were the Ming forces thinking? Capturing Kaicheng, wouldn't that put them in a pincer attack? Excited by the presence of Immortal-level combat power, had they lost all sense of tactics?
Uesugi Kagekatsu's face was ashen, his mind contemplating the Ming army's next move and the whereabouts of the black-clothed Immortal.
The young samurai Shimazu Tadatsune had little strength left. He had barely managed to walk over, and under the vigilant glint of swords from the surrounding samurai, he collapsed with a thud. He knelt powerlessly before Uesugi Kagekatsu, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, gasping for breath, all color drained from his face.
"I... I am extremely sorry! Kaicheng has already fallen. The black-clothed... the black-clothed Immortal, he is looking for people! It's those Thunder Sorcerers who were pursued by General Tachibana before! And... and there's something important!"
"That Ming Immortal, he can seize our divine positions!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu's expression gradually turned to shock. After the young samurai finished speaking intermittently, Uesugi Kagekatsu issued an order to withdraw!
"The entire army will move south, retreat to Bi'etigwan... no, retreat to Wanggyeong!"
The young samurai, Shimazu Tadatsune, retreated with Uesugi Kagekatsu's contingent. He was at the back of the formation due to his injuries. At this moment, a trace of demonic light gradually appeared in the young samurai's eyes, and his form seemed to flicker between human and heavenly demon. His shadow swayed slightly, as if something was lurking within.
...
Joseon, Kaicheng. The battle qi condensed into heavy clouds, vaguely evolving myriad divine forms in the sky.
Among the myriad divine forms, five-colored radiance intertwined, resembling five great banners.
The Five Directional Banner Gods.
The Five Directional Banner Gods were positions worshipped by the Great Ming army. In the third year of Hongwu, a "Banner Temple" was built behind the Grand Governor's Mansion. Initially, there were only seven positions, but now there were eight, with the "Six Great Banner Gods of the Military Tooth" as the main deities, worshipped during the solar terms of Awakening of Insects and Descent of Frost each year.
In the Joseon region, where the quality of soldiers was low, divine positions and divine soldiers had to be used to compensate.
The Banner General, the God of Gold Drums, Horns, Cannons, and Guns, the God of Bows, Crossbows, Flying Spears, and Flying Stones.
"So, the city the Japanese army fiercely attacked last time was Wonsan Castle in Gangwon Province, which Shimazu Yoshihiro and others went to attack, and the cultivators from various sects went to rescue them, only to go missing?"
"Lord Yang Hao, everyone knows you're not good at leading troops, but sending out all the cultivators to rescue them, all for the sake of a decapitation strike, only to be decapitated in return. This strategic move has severely impacted the subsequent victory and defeat. No wonder you lost so quickly."
"You fought very well, don't fight next time."
In the Ming army camp in Pyongyang, Ji Xiang learned the whereabouts of the previously missing Thunder Cultivators. This batch of Thunder Cultivators were the ones who had been ordered to deliver equipment and provide support in Joseon after the turmoil in the Forbidden City. The main force was from Longhu Mountain. With over a dozen of them missing, it was not difficult to guess that most of them were dead, and those who were not dead and had not returned were likely close to death.
If they returned like this, even if Old Zhang said nothing, Emperor Wanli would surely skin Yang Hao.
"No, no, no, Lord Yang seems to have already been skinned once, right? This spring, you, Lord Yang, along with Li Rumai, marched out of the border and before even seeing the enemy, you lost ten generals and over 160 soldiers. The Son of Heaven hasn't settled this account with you yet, has he?"
"Li Guang would have to exclaim 'Impressive'!"
Just as Ji Xiang finished his mockery, someone immediately jumped out to mock him. Yang Hao, the Commissioner in charge of coordinating the Ming army's operations, had just glared, but upon seeing that the speaker was Deng Zilong, the Deputy Commander of the Navy, he immediately suppressed his anger.
It wasn't that he was afraid of this foul-mouthed old man, but rather that this old man didn't have many years left to live. Even if he were to argue with him now, if the old man died afterward, the Ming army would not only lose a great general, but Japan would rejoice. Moreover, the old man would have successfully played the victim, and upon returning, Emperor Wanli would at least give him a set of Taizu Changquan combos on his forehead.
No matter what he did, he would be at a disadvantage. He would just swallow this insult!
There was no need to argue with an old man who was about to kick the bucket; it wasn't worth it. No matter how much you cursed, I am still the Commissioner now, your superior. If I order you to die, would you refuse? Not letting you go would make me seem magnanimous.
Chen Lin, the Commander of the Navy, then stepped forward to mediate, stating...
"Everyone has it tough, let's try to understand each other. The dead cannot be brought back to life, and saying these things is useless. Now that everyone is here, Lord Yang is also getting old, and he can only try to be more open-minded. To take a step back, we must quickly rectify our mistakes..."